


Staying Sane

by FairyNiamh



Series: John/Horatio Snippets [3]
Category: CSI: Miami, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Crossover Pairings, M/M, Secret Relationship, Trope Bingo Round 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 10:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3245741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyNiamh/pseuds/FairyNiamh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Horatio wonders how the Sheriff stays sane in a world where werewolves exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Staying Sane

"Do you ever have difficulty distinguishing the line between fact and fantasy?" The question was asked softly. Full of wonder and an awe of sorts.

John looked up from his paper work and smiled. "I don’t know; do you ever have a hard time deciding if it is night or day?"

The blond man shook his head and laughed. "I really do not understand you sometimes."

"Your sunglasses. I rarely get to see those beautiful blue eyes. You always have them on."

"Ha ha. I'm being serious though, with my question," Horatio asked as he walked around the Sheriff's desk.

John cocked his head and sighed. "Always right to the point. I never get hugs or kisses first, just a question."

Horatio looked around before leaning in and giving the sheriff a kiss. "Now the answer, please."

"I'm guessing you are talking about all the supernatural stuff."

"Of course. I just… how do you stay sane?"

"I will admit, I thought I was going crazy the first few months. Then I got an inside man. It didn’t make things easier, but it made it more stable."

"Deputy Hale, right? Do you think I could borrow him? I'm going crazy looking at old accident cases and wondering if a werewolf did it."

"Deputy Hale is good, but even he has help. He only knows the signs of weres. My specialist… he has a finger in every pie and helps me distinguish between Kanima, Wolf, Troll, _Mermaid_ … I would be lost without him."

"Where do you find someone like that? Is there a secret listing or something?"

John couldn't help but to laugh at his boyfriend's determination. "I'm afraid that Stiles was a rather unique recruit."

"Your son? Are you telling me that _Stiles_ is your informant? How did that even happen?"

"Hey, your guess is as good as mine. How long are you in town?"

"I don't know. No, that's a lie. I'm off for a few weeks. Do you think I can meet with Stiles while I'm here?"

"Do we get to come out? Got to be straight with you Horatio; I'm past the whole closet stage in my life. I respect that you are not ready for Kyle to know, but Stiles… he is _happily_ out of the closet. That was hard on him when he came out and this is hard on me. Sooo, what are we?" he asked. Tapping his pen on the file that he had been looking at, doing his best to ignore the elephant he had just placed in the room.

Horatio sighed and leaned against the desk, He knew this day was coming; he just wasn't ready for it. "It's not that I like hiding John, but I don’t think… I don’t know. Honestly, I just don't know. You have opened my eyes, wider than they have ever been before. Not just about monsters, but about myself. I'm still trying to get a handle on my own emotions. I don’t think I am ready to take on the burden of worrying about what everyone will think or me… of us. Kids get a free ride these days. Guys our age get looked at like pedophiles."

"I see. Well, I was honest. I don’t have time for closets. As for what people would think of us. I'm the _Sheriff_. I'm the one with the elected position. Meaning I have a lot more on the line, but I thought you were worth it. I know the citizens are always cooing over Derek and Stiles. Want to know when they could expect to be seeing kids. They are always trying to set Perrish up with their sons and daughters. I think it’s safe to say that most people, just don’t care one way or the other. Those that care and throw slurs, often find themselves on the wrong side of minor accidents. 'Oops didn’t see you there Joe. Hope that cart to the ankle didn’t hart too bad.' 'Sorry Bob, you know how kids are. Timmy is just going through a kicking phase.' 'Sorry Mr. Walsh, that ball, just went right past my glove."

Horatio sat there and just blinked. "That sounds a lot like harassment, assault, and destruction of property. All of which are illegal."

"Well, I won’t arrest a toddler for kicking a homophobic hate monger. I can’t arrest him for being an asshole and I can't arrest a citizen for an accident."

"John, you just said…"

"I gave you a hypothetical situation and in all of them it is his word vs her/his word. Which mean they both go to jail, or neither of them do."

"The window…"

"Just like back in the day, the parents paid for the replacement. No one to arrest."

"John…"

"Look, I'll talk to Stiles. If you'll give me your room number, I'll see _if_ he wants to call you."

"Room number? I thought I could stay with you."

"I'm sorry; Lieutenant Caine, but I don't open my house to visiting officers. It's unprofessional and some things are kept private." He replied coolly.

"Don't do this to me."

"I'm sorry, don't do what to you? I told you what and why, you won’t even give me a timeframe on a maybe. I _cannot_ be in a relationship like that. I want more than sex; take it or leave it."

Horatio took a deep breath and pinched his nose. "Okay, let's meet in the middle. I'm not ready to tell Kyle or anyone else back home, but here… huh, alright. Let's try it your way."

"Honest?"

"Yeah, why not. Are we okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so. I have the perfect room for you to stay in tonight. Stiles will be out with Derek and I will be off duty in an hour."

"I think there is something in the water here that turns everyone who drinks it insane."

John laughed loud and honestly. "No, nothing in the water. You wanted to know how I dealt with all of this and stayed sane. Reality check, I think everyone who finds out, slowly loses their mind. In self-defense, you understand. Otherwise we would question everything we know and see."

Horatio deflated at the words. "I think my future just got darker. I expect a home cooked meal tonight."

"Stiles is out and he cooks all my meals. I'm afraid it's burgers from the In and Out for us."

Horatio leaned down and kissed John deeply. "Well, at least I have you."

"Indeed you do Lieutenant Caine; indeed you do."

~Fin~


End file.
